back to article No wind-up: Second New Year's honour for Baylis music box

Former co-founder of Lastminute.com Brent Hoberman and inventor of the wind-up radio Trevor Baylis were two names in just a handful of science and tech folk to be handed gongs in the 2015 New Year's honours list. Both were awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the second shiny medal for Baylis after receiving …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What is all this about?

    I know what the awards are but I dont understand the "why" of it all...

    Whats the purpose?

    1. The Mole

      Re: What is all this about?

      To recognise people who have made a worthwhile contribution to the United Kingdom and so deserve recognition. A good proportion of those are normal people like lollipop ladies for their contributions (perhaps the Queen has a soft spot for lollipop ladies,but every year there always seems to be one that has spent the last 40 years helping children cross the road). .

      A bad proportion also seem to be for civil servants as a for of mutal back patting which hasn't really changed since the days of "Yes, Minister"

      "James Hacker: I'm not going to approve any honour to any civil servant in this department who hasn't earned it.

      Sir Humphrey Appleby: What do you mean "earned it"?

      James Hacker: I mean "earned it". "Done something to deserve it".

      Sir Humphrey Appleby: [indignantly] But that's unheard of!"

      1. phil dude
        Joke

        Re: What is all this about?

        Mod up for the YM quote ;-)

        Perhaps it is just about keeping the "system" going. Monarchy only persists because it seeks to create the illusion of "having always been around", "will always be around" and "being more important than you".

        Your Majesty,

        I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts.

        With love. John Lennon of Bag

        P.

        1. Cliff

          Re: What is all this about?

          It's a cheap way to say thanks, that's all. Cheaper than money.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: What is all this about?

            It's about - given the proportions of media coverage - trying to subliminally suggest support for the Government by the types the great unwashed think of as their own. Usually the likes of Joan Collins. Had things worked out differently, Michael Jackson would probably got a mention at some point. John Hurt you could understand for Quentin Crisp and John Merrick. The rarer example of The Beatles was not so much for conning the majority of naifs into thinking HMG is 'for the people', as for hoping to compromise anti-establishment types, to make them accessories to the bullshit.

            Joan Collins - classic Thatcherite. God save us from right-wing thesps!

  2. Cliff

    Bayliss Radio

    I'm surprised Bayliss 'invented' the wind-up radio - he certainly popularised it, but they did exist beforehand.

    1. Chris G

      Re: Bayliss Radio

      I'm pretty sure his was the first functioning 'clockwork' radio; a spring ran a little generator, now they are the usual hand crank generators that charge batteries.

      The idea was to get them handed out particularly in Africa to disseminate advice about AIDS prevention. He also helps or sponsors inventors and is a genuine British Garden Shederist.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Bayliss Radio

        "British Garden Shederist."

        I think he'd appreciate a nomination for Honourary Life President of the British Association of Garden Shedderists and Associated Boffinary and Tinkering.

        And please note the correct spelling of shedderist for future reference.

        1. Chris G
          Headmaster

          Re: Bayliss Radio

          Et tu brute! 'boffinary' I think ought to be boffinry, no a eh?

          A Happy New Year to all, regardless of bad spelling, grammar and language.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How odd...

    I've just scanned the list to see if anyone got a gong for "services to web design through the use of oversize images at the top of web pages". For some reason this seems to have been overlooked. Perhaps next year?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: How odd...

      That would be the "King Gong" for services to your customer base that exhibit disdain and arrogance should not (or cannot, in case the customer base flees) be reproduced.

  4. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    Lynne Killpatrick, head of Video Games (eh?)

    Oh FFS El Reg. She's in charge of making sure the Candy Crush accounts are paid up at the end of the expenses year. Call yourselves a tech rag and you don't even know who the top Government IT people are? Pah!

    Happy New Year to all.

  5. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Joke

    last minute

    Was Brent Hoberman nominated at the last minute?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: last minute

      yes, but the gong is set to implode any time soon.

  6. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Editorial standards slipping

    "Department for Culture, Media and Sport."

    Should be Ministry of Fun.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sir Humphrey's Crowd

    There's some crackers in this list.

    And HMRc got one for leading on digital work! Really?!

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon